West Berkshire Branch of CAMRA

Welcome.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an organisation dedicated to fighting for the preservation of traditional British beer and traditional British pubs.
Once described as 'the most successful consumer pressure group in Western Europe', the Campaign was formed by 4 journalists in 1971 who were horrified at the
declining quality of British beer.

By the end of 2015, the total membership of CAMRA topped 175,000 members. These members are located throughout the United Kingdom organised
into more than 180 branches similar to West Berkshire CAMRA.

Click on the links to learn about our branch and its area, about the people who run it, about our meetings and events, and about the best pubs for real
ale in West Berkshire. You will also be able to see an online version of our Branch Magazine, learn the latest news, nominate a pub for the Good Beer Guide,
and join CAMRA.

Are you coming to CAMRA’s Members’ Weekend, AGM & Conference?

CAMRA’s Members’ Weekend, AGM and Conference is just around the corner, taking place from 20-22 April at the University of Warwick in Coventry.

Hosted by CAMRA’s Coventry branch, the Members' Weekend will give nearly 1,000 CAMRA members the chance to come together to discuss CAMRA business while meeting up with friends on trips to local pubs and breweries. Conveniently located near the historic towns Coventry, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick, there will be plenty to do in between CAMRA business.

Taking centre-stage this year will be the decision on CAMRA’s Revitalisation, following the National Executive’s recommendations for the future purpose and direction of the Campaign. This is one of the most important changes CAMRA has faced in recent years, and as such it is vital that all members’ make their voice heard and cast their vote.

While each and every member will still have the chance to vote on the proposals by proxy if unable to attend the weekend, attendees at Conference will be able to hear the National Executive present the Special Resolutions which, if approved, will change CAMRA’s Articles of Association to enable the organisation to enact the recommendations made. Members in Coventry, who have been unable to attend any of the regional Revitalisation briefings, will be able to ask questions about the detail of the Special Resolutions before casting their vote.

On the 8th of June, the UK will go to the polls for the General Election. We need your help to ensure that your local candidates know how important beer and pubs are to you as a potential voter.

This election gives us a chance to put forward CAMRA’s specific proposals to better support the UK’s beer drinkers and pub-goers. Together in 2015 we persuaded 1,160 candidates to pledge support for beer and pubs. As a result of this campaigning, we had 211 MPs who had promised to speak up in Parliament on our behalf.

Our campaigning efforts paid dividends: we’ve seen successes with a beer duty freeze in 2016, support for pubs facing high business rate bills and most recently on planning protection for pubs in England.
But there is more to do. We need to make sure these successes are protected and push the next Government to ensure beer drinkers and pub-goers get a good deal as Britain prepares to leave the EU.
CAMRA is asking election candidates to commit to do the following if elected:

Want to get more involved?
If you’re on social media, make sure to thank your candidates on Twitter and Facebook by using the hashtag #pledgeforpubs and #ge2017 when they confirm support. You can also upload a short video at the pub about why candidates should pull together for beer and pubs this election and tweet @CAMRA_Official.

Gift Memberships

This Christmas why not get your loved one a one year CAMRA gift membership package;
the package includes a monthly copy of the What's Brewing newspaper, the quarterly BEER magazine and a discount on the best-selling CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2016.

This is the kind of present that they will be able to use all year round and will be forever grateful to you. The membership will only become live when it is activated and will be valid for a year and the recipient will have a chance to renew the membership at the end of the year.

The membership will give them 15% discount from National Express, £20 worth of Wetherspoons vouchers and discounts from some the UK's best attractions such as Alton Towers, Legoland, Blackpool, Sealife and many more.

There is a variety of packages available to suit the recipient. We have joint memberships, ideal for Christmas wedding packages, or maybe a gift from the kids to the grandparents. We also offer deals for under 26s which can also be brought as a gift.